Straight Outta Zhengzhou: Shaolin Monks at the Pacific Asia Museum

Tomorrow night, the Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena is welcoming the Venerable Abbot Shi Yong Xin of China’s Shaolin Temple. The abbot is bringing with him a group of monks for a seminar and, you guessed it, kung fu demonstration.

What’s the occasion? Shaolin Temple USA just opened a brand new cultural center in San Francisco, so the abbot is in California for the grand opening festivities. With his Bay Area tour finished, he’s now spreading Shaolin love to the Southland.

Founded in 495 A.D. by the Indian dhyana master Buddhabhadra, the Shaolin Temple rests in the Song Shan foothills of China’s Henan province (50 miles outside of Zhengzhou), and is the birthplace of both Zen Buddhism and Shaolin kung fu.

Not bad for a scrappy little temple, eh?

Images: A Shaolin monk in action (top, photo byfab to pix) and statues of monks at the Shaolin temple outside of Zhengzhou (bottom, photo byGalvez).